Tire construction.



P. B; WIRT.

TIRE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15,1910.

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P. E. WIRT.

V TIRE CONSTRUOTION.

APPLICATION IILIID JAN. 13, 1909.

Patentd Mar.15,1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVE TOR WQvZZZ 2 WITNES P. E. WIRT. Y TIRE GONSTRUGTION. I APPLICATION TILED JAN. 13, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15,1910.

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fNVE/VTOR Alfomey P. E. WIRT.

TIRE CONSTRUCTION. LIGATION FILED 11.11.13, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15,1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

P. B. WIRT.

TIRE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED JANJS, 1909.

Patented Ma11151910.

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. JNVENTOR 7&1/Z

tit sEs PAUL ESTERLY WIRT, OF BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TIRE CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 13, 1909.- Serial No. 472,126.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL E. VVIRT,'1 clti zen of the United States, residing at Bloomsburg, inthe county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improuements in Tire Construction,

(Case D,) of which the following is a specification. v I

This invention re lntes to vehicle tires, and more particularly tor laniinated tires of the type disclosed in, and covered by, the claims of co-pending applications filed September 12, 1907, Serial Nos. 392,462 and-392,463.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to improve the tread portion of the tire by providing broken and irregular joints between the forming units so that articles which may enter the tire structure must rupture and pass through Various layers of fabric, and cannot follow or be directed into and through the joints between the units.

Another and important object is to pro: vide a structure of the above character, while still retaining .the disposition of units in which the tread surface is made up of edges of rubberized fabric with all the advantages incident to such an arrangement.

Still another object of importance is the provision of a tire in which, while the outer edges of the fabric are presented at the tread surface, the material itself is diagonally disposed thereto, insuring the location of a plurality of thicknesses of fabric across all possible paths by which articles may be forced into the tire.

Embodiments of the invention that are at present considered preferable are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings and are described in the following specification.

It will be evident from an inspection of the claims hereto appended that'the invention is not limited solely to the structures disclosed. i L.

Inthe drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a tire illustrating one form of construction. Fig. 2 is a lon- 'gitudinal sectional view through the same.

Fig. 3 is a similar view prior to the crushing of the forming units. "Fig. 4 is also a perspective view of aportion of a tire,but illustrating a slightly different arrangement of the units. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a series of the forming units disclosed in Fig. 4.. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the structure disclosed in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6,

but illustrating the parts prior to the crushing of the units. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of a modified form o construction. Fig. 9 is a cross sectional View through the same prior to the crushing of the units. Figs. 10, 11, and 12 are detail views of other embodiments of the invention. Fig. 13 is a detail perspective view of a form of construction that is considered of particular importance. Fig. 14 is a detail perspective view of the key set of units. Fig. 15 is a similarview of one of the side sets. Fig. 16 is a View illustrating the manner in which the said sets are produced. Fig. 17 is a sectional perspective view of another form of construction that may be utilized in carrying forward the invention, and illustrating the forming units in a plain uncrushed condition. Fig. 18 is a cross sectional view of the same form of construction but illustrating the units crushed forthe purpose h'erein fully set forth.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Taking up first a simple embodiment of the invention, as disclosed in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, thebody portion of the tire, which is designated 15 may be of any well known character, and located thereon is a tread portion 16 which may be covered by a covering 17 of soft rubber. It will be observed that the tread portion is formed of a plurality of crescent-shaped forming units 18, preferably of rubberized fabric, these'units being located side by side and closely compacted. They may extend around the body portion 15 any distance desired, and when placed in associated relation, the said units are substantially flat. Moreover, it will be observed that the units are disposed perpen-.

dicularly to the surface of the body, or, in other words, at right angles to tangential lines of said body. Ordinarily therefore the joints between them would be radial and straight so that an article forced into the tire tread might follow one of said joints and cause a uncture. To overcome this, in the present orm of construction, the forming units are crushed inwardly or e'dgcwise, transversely of their width, as willtbe clear by reference to Fig. 2; thereby completely breaking the joints and making them so irregular that an article cannot follow the joints, but must rupture and pass throu 11 a number 'of layers of the fabric, which er great resistance to such passage.

Instead of the radial or right angular arran ement of the forming units as above described, said units may be located at an inclination, and such an embodiment of the invention is disclosed in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7.

clined relation. After being so positioned they are compressed or crushed edgewise and inwardly thereby breaking the joints and making them irregular as disclosed Fig. 6. 1 In connection with the formationof the units,it may be well at this point briefly state that they are formed from superimposed rubberized sheets" of fabric,-gr other esired material, or alternate sheetsof fabric or other material with thin sheet'sflof vulcanizedrubber to any desired thickness. I

1 prefer to build up the thickness to one-half -01! three-fourthsof an inch, and then press- 1 .ing or rolling the whole well together, so

-laid up that they adhere and at the same time eliminate air between the sheets. shaped sections are cut on the bias out of the material if in'fabric, so that ends of threa s as nearly .as possible may be presented at the wearing surface of the strips or the crescents. This is done by cutting the laid-up material into slabs or pieces of the desired width, and on the bias. This diagonal cutting is important in this construc} tion for purposes fully stated in my copending applications.

to Figs. 8-12 inclusive, a tire any suitable character is em- Referrin body 20 0 ployed, and located thereon is a tread por' tion 2]: covered by a soft rubber covering 22..

-In each of these forms of construction, the tread portion consists of separate forming units 23 closely compacted side by sidebut disposed longitudinally around the body ortion, the whole producing a member that is in theform of a crescent in cross section. These units are formed of rubberized fabric, and they .are also crushed edgewise to break the joints and make said. 'oints very irregular. The configuration of the outer surface of the tread portion can be-varied to a considerable extent. Thus, in Fig. 10 the outer ,part is thickened so as to )roduce a substantially ,flat surface 24. n"Fig."11, the said portion has longitudinally disposed {if-ribs 25-producin2" a t-ransnerslv scalloped The crescent-.

surfaces of the units, or'surfaces of each formation, while in Fig. 12bosses 26 :are produced. The outer covering 22 in each instance is made to conform generally to the configuration of the outer face of the tread portion. In producing "this type of longitudinal structure, the units are also preferablymade in sets, as shown in Fig. 9, said sets being applied to the bod portion 20 and then compacted and crushe as above. described.

One of the most desirable embodiments of the invention is disclosed in Figs. 13-16 inelusive. In this embodiment, the bOdY PQrtion of the tire is designated-27, and located thereon is a tread portion 28. This tread the said side sets while extending longitudinally about the the body, have their units extending laterally inopposite directions, presenting edges to the tread surface and yet having the sheets of fabric disposed transversely to the path that must be taken by an instrument or article inserted into the tire. This opposite disposition produces at the center or. crest of the tire a tapered channel-or key seat, and the necessarily Wedge: shaped space left at the middle of they face of the tread after sides of tread have been built up, isfiHed by placing therein a strip, section, or key set 31 whose laminations are crushed, rolled or pressed out of a strip of the tread material in such "manner as to assume the shape of the space to be filled or covered, such crushing or rolling throwing laminations'put of their perpendicular or doubling them over in the manner shown a; make this filling section conform to the proper shape, and also to provide therein a construction that will best resist puncture. This last mentioned section is so formed by pressing in a form of proper shape, or by passing the straight out strip of tread mate- 'rial between rolls with the proper recess to give shape, size and form required. The

.same tread material is used as heretofore described and the tread is built up in cores or strips of the material laid longitudinally around the wheel upon the casing. Thereis this difference, however: The strips, allexcepting the one in middle, are cut diagonally from tread material, so that while edges of material or fabric are presented to thewearingsurface of the tread the flat:

lamination, are placed and held so as to pre iii 'e-nt invention resides in building up a tread volvin .structure wheiein the forming units thereof are crushed inwardly or edgewise, thus breaking the joints between the units and: making them irregular for the purpose of securingthe functions pointed out. This feature of compressing or crushing the units edgewise'or inwardly may obviously be em pltyed with units of different designs and .di erently arranged, andforpurp'oses of exemplification, the drawings illustrate forming units of crescent form arranged transversely of the tire body, and other units in strip form arranged longitudinally of and about the tire body. The longitudiy' nal arrangement of the forming units about the tire body possesses structural. adyantages of importance, and in order to further exemplify'this phase of the invention, there is shown in Figs. 17 and 18 of the drawings another modification of the invention, in the idea of arranging the forming units fongitudinally around the body portion of the tire. However, a distinctive feature of the form of construction suggest-ed.

- in. Figs. 17 and 18 of the drawings resides in a plan of construction wherein the blocks or sets of flexible forming units are not only disposed circumferentially and longitudinally about the tire body, but also soarranged as to project laterally therefrom all in one, or the same general, direction. More specifically speaking, the arrangement of the forming units shown inFigs. 17 and 18 may be said to project tangentially or approximately tangentially from the tire body all in thesame direction, instead of laterally dutward in opposite directions, as suggested for instance in the construction shown in Fig; 13 of the drawings. This form of conto greatly resist puncture. Hence, it will be obvious that. this arrangement of the forming units as well as similar or corresponding formsof the invention, may well be utilized with or without the crushing feature, and still remain within the general purview of the present invention.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 17 and 18 ofthe drawings, the tire body is designated by the reference number 32, and the tangentially arranged sets of forming units by the reference number 33.

It is to be understood that .in this application no claim is made to the process or method of producing the tire or the elements thereof, as the same constitutes the subject. matter of ap lication filed January 13, 1909, Serial No. 4 2,127.

I claim:

'1. A tire including a plurality of flexible 'a separate tread portion on t and irre ular.

4. A tire ".includir-igaplurality of se. arate closely compacted form ng units, sai units being disposed side by side and crushed together. I

5. A the including a plurality of separate closely compacted forming units formed of rubberi zed fabric and disposed side'by side, said units having their outer edges presented at the tread portion of the tire and being furthermore crushed together in a direction transversely of their width. f

6. A tire comprising a body portion and a tread portion located thereon and includ ing a plurality of flexible forming units closely compacted side by side and crushed together transversely of their widths.

7. A tire comprisin a 'body portion and a tread portion located thereon and including-a plurality of forming units of rubberized fabric located side by side and crushed together transversely of their Widths.- 8. A tire comprising a bod portion and lie latter, said tread portion consisting .of a. plurality of flexible forming units extending longitudinally of the body, said forming units being constructed from sheet material and adhesively compacted in face to face relation with their outer-edges presented toward the wearing surface.

9. A tire comprising a body portion and aseparate tread thereon, said tread consist cessively and uninterruptedly laid on edge gitudinally about the latter. i 10. A tire comprising a body portionan upon the body, said units extending lona tread portion located on the body portion and consisting of a plurality of flexible forming units located side by side and disposed longitudinally of said body portion, said tread portion being compressed 'e'd wiseand havingthe joints between the unlts broken and irregular.

11. A tire comprising a body portion and i a tread portion located on the bod portion and comprising a plurality of flexi 1e form-- ing units of rubberized fabric closely compacted side by side and disposed longitudinally of the body portion, said tread portion being compressed edgewise and having the body together and having the joints between said jtlii-nl-s between the units broken and irregll till. I

12. A tire includin a plurality of flexible forming units located side by side, certain of said units being crushed together and having" the joints between them thereby broken and irregular.

1,3. A tire including a plurality of sets of flexible forming units located side by side, one of thesets of said units'being'crushed units irregular.

14. A tire comprising a body ortion and atread portion including sets 0 longitudinally disposed flexible forming units of rubberized sheet-material extending around the body portion and projectin outwardly in opposite directions, and a ey section located betweensaid sets and projecting outwardly with the outer edge thereof forming the crest of said tread ortion.

15. A tirecomprising a ody portion and a tread portion including sets of longitudinally dis )osed flexible forming units of rubberized s est-material extending around the portion and projecting outwardly in opposite directions, and a central set of forming units located between said first mentioned sets and set edgewise, the line of contact between the latter set being broken and irregular, j

16. A tire comprising a body portion and a tread portion, said tread portion consisting of sets of longitudinally disposed fiexi ble forming units extending around the body portion and pro ecting outwardly in opposite directions, and a key set of forming units located between said first mentioned sets and set edgewise, the units of the key set being crushed inwardly and having their joints broken and irregular.

17. A tire comprising abody portiona'nd a tread portion snrronndingthe body portion, said tread port-ion consisting of longitudinally disposed flexible forming units of rubberized fabric projecting laterally outward in opposite directions, and a central key set of corresponding units located In testimony whereof I hereunto afiixuny signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. PAUL ESTERLY WIRT. Witnesses:

- KARL F. W R. L. ORANGE. 

